A Sunday standard in many a household in South Louisiana, spaghetti and meatballs is a great family meal that is easily adaptable depending on the crowd. And, whether you like it super meaty or more fresh, or if you’re cooking on a budget or looking to go big, this dish can be made with a number of different meats, tomatoes, herbs, cheese and more to suit your palate.
At The Best Stop, we always love recipes that complement our fresh, made-in-house meatballs, and our recipe doesn’t disappoint in that department! Serve it alongside your favorite loaf of french bread and you’ve got a meal that’ll please even the pickiest eaters.
Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe Ingredients (Serves 8)
- 1 large white onion, chopped fine
- 3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp. The Best Stop Cajun Garlic Seasoning
- 1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 6oz. can tomato paste
- 1 tbsp. white sugar
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil (or ¼ cup dried)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tbsp. dried)
- 2 pkgs. of The Best Stop’s fresh meatballs
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 boxes of spaghetti noodles, cooked al dente
- Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, red pepper flakes for garnish (optional)
Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe Directions
- Heat a large pot on the stove over medium-high heat. Once heated, pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the chopped onion. Saute onion until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.
- Pour in chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, sugar, Cajun seasoning, basil and parsley. Bring to a simmer.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1-4 hours (the longer you let it simmer, the more flavor will develop in the sauce).
- Before the last 30-45 minutes of the sauce simmering, heat up a skillet (preferably cast iron) and add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Season the meatballs with salt and pepper, then carefully place them in the skillet and, working in batches, brown them on all sides. Once all meatballs are browned, add them to the sauce and give it a light stir to incorporate. Let them finish cooking in the sauce to further develop flavor.
- If you have an immersion or standard blender, remove meatballs from sauce and use it to puree the mixture until the desired consistency is achieved.
- Serve sauce and meatballs on top of noodles and garnish with your favorite parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes or more fresh basil (optional).
You can find our Cajun seasoning and a number of ingredients in our online store. It makes it easy for everyone to get delicious meat and authentic Cajun ingredients throughout the year that can help your next meal have a lil’ more lagniappe to it.
